


To the 24 Snugglemagnes of Before

by Pathologies



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Headcanon, M/M, Pre-Canon, Slips you a heavy theory about Snugglemagne while giving you fluff, Time Skips, it's like I'm gently smothering you with a soft laquered pillow or maybe a snugglemagne body pillow, mute Quinton, references to mythological birds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 11:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21135704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pathologies/pseuds/Pathologies
Summary: Snugglemagne was special, he knew that even when he was a young prince.





	To the 24 Snugglemagnes of Before

Camille told the best stories. When she was allowed to tell the bedtime stories, Snugglemagne was always the most engaged. Not that being engaged was a good thing for anyone standing in attendance of the young prince in the ornate throne room. It was a spectacle, this reptile wizard standing before a prince who barely had come up to the knees of the guards yet still decked out in the royal garments and refinery.

“So the prince was wandering aaaaall alone until he met a giant bird called the Simurgh--”

“What’s so great about birds? They poke you and yell at you!” Snugglemagne always had this banter with Camille, “They’re rude.”

She didn’t mind, it gave her space to add more, “Well you see, young prince. The Simurgh is no ordinary bird. It has a puppy dog head, like the chef! And has claws like yours, your highness” (Snugglemane took a moment to look at his own hands, awed) Camille continued, “And they’re big! HUGE in fact! It can carry an entire sky pirateship in its claws! In fact, I saw it happen I did.”

He rose, excited by this strange bird, “Ooh! Tell me that story!”  
  
“Don’t you want to hear the story of the prince or other?” her eyeballs wandered apart in confusion.

Snugglemagne folded his arms, “No, I want the story of the Smig-sim—I want the bird story! I order you to tell me it!”

The chameleon magician took it in stride, laughing, “Well okay! I forgot the other story! So, there I was, collecting needlefruit for one of my magic potions for my magic-y things! When these rude sky pirates just started throwing their junk right at poor Camille!”

“Boo!” the prince added.

“There was no ghost,” Camille said before continuing, “So I decided to give them a piece of Camille’s mind right there and set fire to their ship with magic. Eh, too bad it was steel. They still weren’t happy about that.”

“What did you do?” Snugglemagne was on the edge of his seat—if the floor had an edge.

“Well I was getting tied up! When right when they were hauling me onboard, the biggest shadow came over the ground. We all looked up and—ha! You should have seen them so scared. It was the Simurgh! So that bird grabbed the whole ship and snapped it in two like nothing!”

Snugglemagne gasped.

“Those sky pirates ran away crying,” she slapped her knee, “Never seen a crew of tough muscled gorillas so scared in their life!”

“Was that it?”

“Nope nope! See, the Simurgh saw me and spoke to ol’ Camille! See, Simurghs are creatures that are oooooold. They know so much! But they manage to stay fresh and not fall apart like Camille.”  
  
Snugglemagne laughed, “It’s true, you’re old!”

“Yep yep,” she sighed, “You know why? Cause Simurghs when they get to be a certain age, they just get to do it all over again: the whole baby thing, the works! Anyway, cause they’re so wise, getting the favor and attention of a Simurgh is a big deal. So you know what I did?”  
  
He shook his head.

“Camille asked that bird the best way...to juice needlefruit. And I tell you, I don’t regret ever asking.”

Snugglemagne, despite his age, looked a bit disappointed. “That’s it?”  
  
“Yep!” she stuck her tongue out.

“If I was there, I’d ask that bird how to get friends. And then I’d ask how to get them to do whatever I want! Being those birds sounds marvelous, Camille, I wish I was a sim-simu-smrghubgh.”

She beamed, “In a way, you are!”

“Really?” his ears perked up, “What do you mean?”

“You know because of the bein--” one of the guards quickly moved to cover her mouth, which was still making muffled noises. They let go as she continued, “--not like the last one anyway! Anyway, I guess I better be off. I don’t need anymore rude guards touching my face.”

“You’ve been to so many places, Camille,” Snugglemagne said, “I wanna go outside Pure Heart Valley!”

“Oh you can’t,” Camille beamed, “Because of the Ruby Pure Heart and the ri--” the guards covered her mouth once more, this time she broke off, “ALRIGHT! I’m going! I swear, I need an assistant….”

“It’s just much too dangerous,” one pigeon guard explained.

Another added, “There’s too many monsters out there. The Ruby Pure Heart is what keeps you safe.”

Snugglemagne faltered and trailed off, in that way kids who here on the cusp of trying to understand all that adults were trying to impart to them before he said, “But I want everyone to be my friend.”

Rhett the chef, coming in from the kitchen into the throne room added, “But everyone in Pure Heart Valley is your friend!”

“But they don’t come over and love me and give me everything!” he kicked his feet.

“Oh but they’ll love you...you’re a prince. And soon you’ll be the king! And everyone loves the king!” Rhett added.

“And they’ll give me their toys and stay over as long as I want?”

None of the guards wanted to add boundaries to the prince, neither did Rhett. They all merely agreed in unison.

“Well I better hurry up being king,” Snugglemagne huffed before shouting, “Quinton!”

Quickly the guards scrambled to escort the young bird inside the castle. They all knew letting any Sweetypie in the castle as the prince was maturing was a mistake. So the honor of being Snugglemagne’s ‘best friend’ fell on a hapless volunteer. This volunteer was a silent bird named Quinton. They were escorted, shyly waving at the lion as the prince rushed over to embrace him, “You’re my friend right?”

Quinton, though losing his balance, gently nodded his head with a smile. Yes.

The prince brought his bird friend back to his feet, holding him close like a prized toy as he babbled, “Everyone will love me one day and be my friend but Quinton will be my best friend. My Best friend. Quinton will be my knight.”

“Whatever you wish, your highness,” Rhett said, “After all, you got a special job being king when you grow up so you’ll need all the help you can get!”

The bird beamed, holding Snugglemagne back as he lit up at the thought of standing by the prince as a knight. He nodded even more enthusiastically. Snugglemagne laughed, jogging with Quinton in tow, “You’ll be my best knight and you’ll always be by my side and you’ll give me lots of presents. More than anyone else!”

The guards kept their distance as the prince and Quinton ran down the royal halls. The little bluebird did his best keeping pace until the prince flopped to the floor with a pant, letting go of Quinton’s hand. The bird of course, reached over to hold onto Snugglemagne’s hand once more. The prince giggled, “Quinton you’re so silly!”

One dog guard approached to suggest, “Your highness, perhaps if you’re feeling tired, you should go to the royal bedroom?”  
  
There was no parents, there was only staff names, only Camille and Rhett and Chet and the dozens of other staff names. He dismissed the guard with an airy wave, “Alright if I guess I’m tired. I order you to take me to bed.” After which he added: “I order you to take Quinton to bed with me.”

The guards obliged their prince, carrying both of them to the royal chambers. Snugglemagne pawed at and kneaded the sheets while Quinton had laid down opposite the king like a stiff board, looking at the king with a smile. It must have been an hour before the prince finally settled down by curling around the bird, his head weighing down on the bird, “Good night Quinton. You’re my best friend.”

Quinton closed his eyes with a smile, curling around the king in turn as they both drifted off.

***

King Snugglemagne passed the portraits of his predecessors, all 24 Snugglemagnes. All with eerily the same heart-shaped face, the same beauty mark. Sure some of their figures were different, some of them way off from his own gorgeously built figure. But the face. Snugglemagne reached beneath his wig, feeling the tufts of hair that remained from his stress shedding.

Time was kind to Snugglemagne, but even he in his youth felt the eerie tickle of it looking at this portrait hall, almost like a hall of mirrors...

In the midst of all this, he nearly tripped over the chameleon magician. It was only the saving grace of his scream and her assistant Honey that saved him.

“Good HEAVENS, madam!” hissed Snugglemagne, “Who said you could traipse around like...all that?”

“Looking at the royal portraits again, Snugglemagne?” Camille guffawed fearlessly.

He fumed, “Of course I am, have to remember how gorgeous I am, don’t I?” The king began his stroll to the throne room.

Camille and Honey followed. The chameleon replied, “Of course! I mean, when you’re royalty you don’t worry about...eh….you know, normal things.”

Snugglemagne used this opportunity to steer the subject change, “Do you remember a creature called theee...Simurgh?”

She beamed, “Why yes! Big old flapper! Very eloquent!”

He eyed the ground, fiddling with his fingers, “It’s true they live forever don’t they? Maybe you can...illuminate their immortality process for me.”

“Yep yep all true! You see, when they get old, they just lay an egg. Then their old selves just turns into dust while their mind drifts right into the egg. Self-sufficient bunch.”

The kind leaned back, tapping the throne, “So what if something didn’t lay eggs?”

“Well they’d just find an egg then! Something with potential with an empty mind to dump their brains from their old withering body. But I guess that’s only for immortals and not for vivacious people like me and Honey, ain’t that right?”

Honey stood with a poker face.

Snugglemagne sighed, his face squishing into the palm of his upturned hand, “I bet having parents would be boring. They sound dreadful.”

“Yeah, but that’s life.” cackled Camille.

Snugglemagne waved his hand, “You are excused. Leave, I’m really bored talking to you now.”

“Okay, me and my assistant have some experimentation to do! Come on, Honey!” Camille ran off carrying the assistant.

The king was left alone. With silence. And a dozen guards. Snugglemagne sighed miserably, “QUINTON!”

The bird appeared right as prompted, his powdered wig bobbing with each bounce-step. Snugglemagne lifted the bird to his lap. This was a surprise to the king’s Royal Assistant. Rarely could one be so close to the king. And here he was, on the king’s lap, being dwarfed by his expansive chest, that royally statuesque physique.

Snugglemagne lent a paw, his expression tortured by boredom, “I need my nails filed, Quinton. They’re becoming unseemly.”

As always, Quinton had beauty tools at his side at all times. Pulling out a golden nail file, he set about delicately working on the king’s claws.

Snugglemagne watched as the bird attended to his hands. How like a sculptor attending to his statue, the concentration, the devotion. Not only did it feel good being pampered, it felt good watching someone absolutely adore him.

The king grinned, “Quinton. You may stop for a moment.”

The Royal Assistant paused, directing his attention to the king’s face with that smile. Snugglemagne grinned back, his freshly-filed claw delicately tracing under the bird’s chin, “You are my good friend, aren’t you Quinton?”  
  
The bird nodded slowly, closing his eyes with a special bliss. The king’s finger was stroking his chin. His chin.

“Mmm that’s what I thought,” he said with a special self-satisfied purr, now his entire hand stroking one half of the bird’s face, “A king has many responsibilities, Quinton. In many ways, I’m bound to the Ruby Pure Heart. Just like the 24 Snugglemagnes as before. In a way...” his mouth, perfectly cleaned and perfumed was just over Quinton’s head, “You’re more free than I. Yet you choose to be by my side.”

Quinton signed with his hands ‘I want to’.

“You do,” he grinned, “Don’t you? I think it’s high time you know your efforts...” his muzzle met the forehead of Quinton, a gentle peck, “Are noticed.”

The bird felt his face rise several temperatures. The makeup and powder wouldn’t betray it, but deep down he knew he felt a scarlet across his face. Quinton gave a silent coo before the king set him down.

“I suppose it’s time to retire,” Snugglemagne stretched, “It’s been such a horrendously busy day: thinking, talking to people. Utterly draining.” As he set off towards the royal bedchambers, he looked over his shoulder to call to Quinton, “Are you coming? I need my other hand done. I won’t wait till morning, so come along, Quinton.”

The bird nearly burst like a flustered turkey. Yet his discretion made sure he gave a courteous nod as he attended to his friend, his king.

**Author's Note:**

> I mean, there's something weird going on with Snugglemagne, right? Also I just like the idea of Quinton/Snugglemagne.


End file.
